Explosive compound



,ifPn'rnNT F Q RUSSELL S.- PENNIMA-N, OF JENKINTOvVN, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGXOR OF ONE-HALFTO JOHN C. SOHRADER, OF MGGLAINSVILLE, NEW JERfiEY.

EXPLO SlVECQMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,583, dated June 23,1885.

' Application filed May 8, 1883. ,(No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUssELLS. PEN NIMAN inafter described I employ the nitrate of amunoniaas aningredient, and which substance,

as is well known, furnishes alarge quantity of gases when fired, but which has not heretofore been practically available as one of thc constituents of high explosives, for the reason i that no means, so far as 1} know, have been successfully devised to prevent its tendency to deliquesce in consequence of its natural afiinity 'for moisture. To utilize this agent in an cxplosive, I superficially coat or envelop the particles of nitrate of ammonia, after they have been finely divided or brought to a granulated condition, with a fluid or viscous material,

which will exclude them from contact with the atmosphere, and I prefer to make use for suchenvelope of the soft or viscous cducts or products of petroleum, for thereason that petroleum or its products containing carbon, when applied in, a fluid or viscous state to nitrate of ammonia, serves not only as a protector against deliquescence without impairingthe granular or divided character of the nitrate, but also asa fuel to aid in the final explosion, and nitrate of ammonia thus coated petroleum constitutes the sub] cct of a separate application for Letters Patent, filed as a division hereof, "Serial No. 113,217. Mynovel explosive compounds are produced by combining with. the so-protected nitrate of ammonia any suitable detonating compound or explosive agent which; under properconditions, will serve t-o fi re the protected nitrate of ammonia. I In herein referring to detonatiug' materials and compounds and to explosive agents I do not include detonating capsor fuses, but only such dctonating materials or compounds as can bemixed or compounded with the proteoted nitrate;

with the suit or viscous educts or productsof My improved manufacture, hereinafter more fully described, constitutes an explosive com; poundof great power when confined and fired under suitable conditions, but which, under ordinary circumstances, and when subjected 5 to the usual incidents of handling and trans portation, is entirely harmless.

'In order to carry out my invention to the best advantage, I take a quantity of the nitrate of ammonia of commerce in its usual solid or crystallized form and melt it at a temperatu re of, say, 320 Fahrenheitin a suitable vessel. The next step is to granulate the m trate of ammonia so niclted,uand for this purf pose it may be transferred to another kettleg provided with a watcrjacket, and bestirred continuously, while at the same time the heat of the water-jacket is allowed to be reduced steadily until the liquid nitrate of ammonia, as the result of stirring and cooling. has he come granulated.

The process thus far is one which is known to chemists, and the above or any otherpre: ferred method may be employed for granulatingthe nitrate of ammonia.

The nitrate of ammonia having been granu; lated, the next step is to protect the granules from atmospheric contact, so as to prevent their deliquesccnce, and this I do by the use of the semi-fiuid educts or productsof petro- 8o leum or other equivalent substance which will form a soft or viscous envelope or coating for each of the granules of nitrateof ammonia and protect them from the influence of atmospheric moisture. educts or products of petroleum, ,butcrude petroleum will answer the purpose very fa rly. 1

it is desirable, however, that the protecting; material should have considerable consistency and hein the viscous or semi-fluid condition. o To accomplish this protection of the nltrate of ammonia against the influence of atmospheric moisture, I thoroughly mix by stirring with any given quantity of nitrate of-ammonia twelve percent. (more or less) of its weight 9 5 of such petroleum or its educts'or products,

enoughof such protecting substancebcing,

used to completely coat the granules of the nitrate of ammonia, and the operation of stirring should be continued long enoughto thormo,

I prefer to use the heavy oughly accomplish this result, and if the quan tity of, protecting agent above specified is not sufiieient more should be adde s v Protected nitrate of ammonia, as above described, is now suitable to be combined wit-1 any detonating compound or substance which will when fired create a suflicient amount of heat to set fire to the nitrate of ammonia and form with the said nitrate of ammonia a high explosive. suitable when confined and fired to be used Io'r biastiugand similar purposesl- For a detonating material to be combined with. the said protected nitrate of ammonia, I rely upon chlorate of potash, also mixed with a similar or the same soft or viscous protecting agent. 'I take, say, eighty-five parts, by weight, of chlorate of potash and add fifteen parts of the heavy hydrocarbon similar to that used inlprotecting the nitrate of ammonia, and thoroughly mix the two together in any of the ways usually practiced by any of the manufacturers of explosives. In place of this detonator other agents for the same purpose may be employed in combination with the protected nitrate of ammonia, provided that such detonators er explosives have sufficient strength and capacity to fire the nitrate of ammonia. I rely, however, upon the chlorate of potash, for the reason that it is not affected by extreme cold, and under all reasonable-conditions of use is harmless. I now take equal parts, by weight, or thereabout, of the so-protected hummer ammonia and the chlorate of potash, treated as above, to form a detonator, and thoroughly mix the two substances in any convenient or preferred way.

The resulting article is a high explosive, which can behandled and transported with safety, and it can. be subjected to percussion when unconfined without danger, or be subjected to the action of flame without any explosion. \Vhen, however, it is under confinement, as when used for blasting purposes, and fired by a detonating cap or a strong fuse, it is foltl'oizved by the most destructive effects. T re chlorate pf potash sets fire to the protectin .;envelope which surrounds each particle of the granulated nitrate'of ammonia, and this envelope, being a hydrocarbon, serves as a fuel to aid in firing-the nitrate of ammonia and contributing gases to increase'the efi'ect of the explosion.

I am aware that deliquescent or hydroscopic nitrates have heretofore been employed with various ingredients in the manufacture of ex plosive compounds, and that such nitrates have beencombined with such solid, fatty, or waxy bodies as paraffinc, naphthaline,stearine, ozocerite, palmitatc of cetyl, and hard pitch, and also that in some cases some of these lastnamed ingredients have been employed for obviating the deliquescent tendency of said nitrates; but so far as my knowledge extends,

never heretofore been combined withsaid niiessence .of the -.iavention.

'or all of the protector may such solid, waxy, 0r fatty substances have .5 trates in their isolated condition, orem'ployed while in a fluid,.seini-fluid, or viscous state, to envelop the particles of the nitrate, as distinguished frombeing ground with the nitrates in connection. with other ingredients, such as finelypowdercd animal or vegetable charcoal, coal-dust, 82c.

The order of steps hereinbei'ore stated for produeing my improved high explosive is not the W The end to be accomplished is the production or a newvariety of high explosives composed of nitrate of ammonia, protected, as described, by a fluid, semi-fluid, or viscous coating orenvelope applied to the separate particles or granules of nitrate of ammonia to protect the same against deliquescence, and the chlorate of potash operating as a detonating or firing agent, the ofliceof which, having been itself firedby adeto hating cup or fuse, is to fire the nitrate of ammonia under suitable conditions.

The proportion of the constituents named may be twelve and one-half parts 01 the fluid or viscous protecting material; forty-two and one-half parts of chlorate of potash, and fortyfive parts of nitrate of ammonia; but those proportions may be varied to suit different conditions of use. In the preparation of the article a portion'of the fluid, semi-fluid, or viscous protecting material may be' mixed with the nitrate of ammonia, and the residue with thechlorate of potash, as hereinbcfore described, 01, all of the protector may be mixed with the nitrate of ammonia and then this compound mixed with the chlorate o'f potash;

be mixedwith the chlorate of potash, and then this compound mixed with the granulated nitrate 0f ammonia, it always being understood" that enough of the protector be employed to thoroughly coat the individual granules of the nitrate of ammonia. T

This explosive for immediate use may be compounded at all seasons regardless of temperature, but when manufactured and on storage or transportation, temperatures above, say. 80 Fahrenheit should be avoided because of a tendency to spontaneous combustion.

What I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A high explosive composed of nitrate of ammonia in a finely divided or granulated condition, and protected from contact with the atmosphere by a fluid or viscous coating or en velope composed of petroleu m or itssoft educts or products, in combination with chlorate of potash operating as an explosive or detonator for firing the protected nitrate, substantially as specified.

RUSSELL S. PENNIMAN.

IIO

Witnesses:

O. MATHER, JOSEPH W. GRISCOM. 

